Almost 40 years ago, a real estate developer made me “an offer I couldn’t refuse” on the Barney & Carey lumber yard at the Neponset River in Milton. The deal included them building me a brand new, much larger, turnkey facility at the old quarries in Quincy. After moving there, the company had the best two years since its opening in 1922. It was a terrific operation, and life was good!
A Deal That Changed Everything
I had never had a problem with any of the “big box” home centers which were sprouting up everywhere, nor did I have any idea what to expect when one opened up nearby. I was woefully ignorant as to their ruthless business tactics, and never saw it coming. Later I learned that their method- clearly stated in an annual report- was to “cannibalize the existing lumber yards, paint, and hardware stores” in an area where they proposed to build. A few months before they opened, they began to stealthily recruit our employees, all the way up to our general manager. When they opened, they constantly advertised specials, which they were selling below our cost! Many of my best customers were being enticed away by the low prices. Some begged me to at least match the quotes they were getting, but I couldn’t do it. Unfair business practices, you may say? Sure, but who had the money to fight their team of lawyers and very deep pockets. I wound up having to close and sell the facility.
Starting Over With a New Strategy
After licking my wounds, I opened a new, MUCH smaller yard, in Sharon, where I vowed never to make the same mistakes again. As always, we stressed ultra high-quality pine, hardwoods, and moldings, and created a woodworking shop- a new venture for Barney & Carey. We stocked, and milled, items that were not available at the home centers. I would never compete with them again! In 20 years, we had totally outgrown our facility. I took on two partners, and we bought our present property in Avon. We set up a much larger, state-of-the-art woodworking shop, investing heavily in machinery. We then had the ability to fabricate just about anything in custom moldings, trim and cabinetry.
What We Can Do for Historic Restorations
If you are restoring a 100+ year old Victorian, or a 200+ year old colonial home, we can exactly recreate ANY trim you need to replace. We have hundreds of sets of knives for that many profiles and can quickly cut a set of new knives to match your item. The cost of the knives is NOT prohibitive, and we can supply any wood you desire. One of our customers has been restoring a Victorian mansion, which he converted into four large apartments, on College Hill in Providence. Over the years, he has replaced just about every piece of trim and molding on the building, specifying clear Cypress to be used. “Yes, pine would be a lot cheaper; but I never want to do this again,” he told me!
I couldn’t count the number of historic renovations for which we have recreated the ancient trim. One of my very oldest customers is currently restoring- right down to the studs- a Back Bay brownstone. Imagine how the market has changed, as he is returning a five unit building back to its creation as a grand single-family townhouse! We will be milling all the period millwork for this spectacular project. THIS is what we do best at Barney & Carey!
Custom Trim That Makes a Project Stand Out
You wouldn’t use white and gold fleck plastic laminate counters in a high end project; nor should you use finger jointed clamshell moldings, either. Just bring us a sample, sketch or photo, or an architect’s drawing of the trim you want, and we will mill all you need, whether it’s six or six thousand feet. Custom trim is what makes a project really stand out, and with our CNC machinery, there isn’t much that we can’t replicate or create.
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